title: A human hair keratin hydrogel scaffold enhances median nerve regeneration in nonhuman primates: an electrophysiological and histological study.
abstract: A human hair keratin biomaterial hydrogel scaffold was evaluated as a nerve conduit luminal filler following median nerve transection injury in 10 Macaca fascicularis nonhuman primates (NHP). A 1 cm nerve gap was grafted with a NeuraGen® collagen conduit filled with either saline or keratin hydrogel and nerve regeneration was evaluated by electrophysiology for a period of 12 months. The keratin hydrogel-grafted nerves showed significant improvement in return of compound motor action potential (CMAP) latency and recovery of baseline nerve conduction velocity (NCV) compared with the saline-treated nerves. Histological evaluation was performed on retrieved median nerves and abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscles at 12 months. Nerve histomorphometry showed a significantly larger nerve area in the keratin group compared with the saline group and the keratin APB muscles had a significantly higher myofiber density than the saline group. This is the first published study to show that an acellular biomaterial hydrogel conduit filler can be used to enhance peripheral nerve regeneration and motor recovery in an NHP model.
authors.affiliation: 1 Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pace
authors.forename: Johannes F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Plate
authors.forename: Sandeep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mannava
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Barnwell
authors.forename: L Andrew
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Koman
authors.forename: Zhongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Thomas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Dyke
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007633:Keratins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000502:physiology*; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009132:Muscles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000187:drug effects; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D014048:Tolonium Chloride / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D014048:Tolonium Chloride; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D007633:Keratins